The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Krystal Whipple, seen in a prior booking photo from April 2018, police said. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
As the hunt continued for 21-year-old Krystal Whipple, who allegedly ran over a nail salon technician in a deadly encounter in Las Vegas, the suspect's mother spoke out Saturday, begging her daughter to turn herself in.
"You can't run, baby," Sharon Whipple told ABC News through tears, speaking to her daughter. "You cannot run. You have to come forward, baby."
Video of the violent incident appeared to show Krystal Whipple striking and killing 51-year-old "Annie" Ngoc Q. Nguyen with her Chevy Camaro on Dec. 29. Whipple allegedly was trying to escape after her debit card was declined for her $35 manicure.
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Witnesses said Whipple told salon employees she was going to her car to get cash. When Nguyen saw the young woman starting the car and driving away, she ran out to stop her, jumping in front of the vehicle. The beloved salon owner and mother of three ultimately was dragged about 50 feet and died of her injuries.
The Camaro later was found abandoned by a nearby housing complex and was identified as a rental that had been stolen a month earlier. Whipple previously had been charged with attempted possession of a stolen vehicle and served four months in jail for a probation violation.
Nguyen was said to be a pillar of the community who worked tirelessly to send her daughters to college and to support her extended family. "Our mom was really loved by the community here," her daughter Anne Trinh told ABC News. "It's very traumatizing." A GoFundMe page already has raised over $30,000 for Nguyen’s family to pay for her funeral expenses.
As Sharon Whipple emotionally pleaded for her daughter to turn herself in, she also spoke to Nguyen’s three daughters, saying, "I am so sorry that you lost your mom and I couldn't imagine how you feel.”
SUSPECT IN KILLING OF VEGAS MANICURIST IS IDENTIFIED
She added that she hoped Nguyen’s family could "find it in your heart to forgive my daughter and my family."
In the meantime, Las Vegas Police remain resolute in their pursuit for justice.
"We are going to put an extraordinary amount of resources into this to make sure that the person, the outstanding suspect, is held accountable for it," Las Vegas Police Lieutenant Ray Spencer said. “It is important that we get this suspect into custody as the victim's family and this community deserve to have her answer for this horrible crime."
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